“Good, good… No matter how much brainwashing, hypnosis, or modification you undergo, are you still this stubborn?”
The voice of the Demon Queen, Isaiah, was like a venomous snake dipped in ice, trembling slightly with a hint of irritation.
It quickly turned into a low and eerie laugh.
“Hehehe… You’re the one forcing my hand…”
Her laughter seemed exceptionally sinister under the refraction of the crystal chandeliers.
The originally noisy banquet hall had fallen silent at some point.
All the demon guests were as quiet as cicadas in winter, prostrating themselves on the ground, not even daring to breathe.
Deep within Isaiah’s eyes, inside those heart-shaped pupils, a black vortex spun wildly, as if it wanted to swallow every trace of non-compliant will.
Ling Xiya suddenly snapped back to her senses, gasping violently, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
She found herself still standing in the banquet hall, wearing that well-pressed black maid uniform.
The surrounding demons cast glances that were either curious, fearful, or gloating, sending a bone-chilling shiver through her.
“Mas… Master…”
Ling Xiya instinctively lowered her head, her voice carrying an undetectable tremor.
She desperately tried to hide the turmoil in her heart and the Hero’s Power that had just been revived.
She had to pretend as if nothing had happened; otherwise, she didn’t know what more terrible things Isaiah would do.
However, Isaiah’s eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, had already captured every minute reaction.
The Demon Queen slowly turned around.
Her exquisite and stunning face bore no expression, but those pink eyes were like two bottomless cold pools, locked onto Ling Xiya.
She took elegant steps that carried an invisible pressure, walking toward her maid one step at a time.
The sound of high heels clicking on the smooth marble floor struck Ling Xiya’s heart like a heavy hammer.
Forced to meet those eyes full of a desire for control, Ling Xiya’s heart tightened.
She quickly lowered her eyelids, not daring to look at her.
“Master. I… I was distracted just now. Please punish me, Master.”
“Punishment?”
Isaiah sneered.
She gripped Ling Xiya’s chin firmly with her fingers.
The force was so great that Ling Xiya furrowed her brows in pain.
“Your heart isn’t here at all, is it? Ling Xiya…”
Isaiah whispered those last few words almost against Ling Xiya’s ear, carrying a cold breath and heavy mockery.
Ling Xiya’s body stiffened abruptly, her blood seemingly freezing in an instant.
She knew her loss of composure just now had exposed too much.
Seeing her stiff reaction, the fire of rage in Isaiah’s eyes grew even stronger.
She suddenly let go, as if she had touched something filthy.
She pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her fingers, then tossed it disdainfully onto the ground.
“Return!”
The Demon Queen’s voice suddenly became stern, carrying an irresistible command.
“Return to the Demon King’s Castle!”
“Yes…”
Ling Xiya didn’t dare to offer any resistance, answering in a low voice.
She could feel the intense killing intent radiating from Isaiah’s entire body; she had truly been moved to kill.
Isaiah didn’t glance at her again.
She turned to the Demon Butler behind her and gave a cold order.
“The banquet ends early. Tell them all to get out.”
“Yes, my Master,” the butler replied respectfully.
Only now did Ling Xiya remember that the host of this banquet was Isaiah.
At the time, she hadn’t even noticed anything abnormal even when her master said they were going to visit “the master”…
Soon, the originally luxurious and lively banquet hall was empty, leaving behind only a mess and the cold air.
Isaiah gave Ling Xiya no further instructions and walked straight toward the Teleportation Circle.
Ling Xiya followed silently, the atmosphere between them so oppressive it was suffocating.
Soon, the two had returned to the gloomy and grand Demon King’s Castle.
Cold stone walls, flickering torches, and a faint smell of sulfur in the air—this was Isaiah’s true lair and the place where Ling Xiya’s nightmare had begun.
They walked in silence as Isaiah led Ling Xiya through a long, empty corridor.
Ling Xiya’s heart sank to the bottom.
She knew that what awaited her would certainly not be a good outcome.
Isaiah’s current silence was more terrifying to her than any reprimand.
They didn’t go toward Ling Xiya’s maid room on the middle level of the castle.
Instead, they went all the way down, toward the stairs emitting an ominous aura that led to the lowest level of the castle.
Ling Xiya’s footsteps faltered, her face turning pale instantly.
She knew that place—it was where the Demon King’s Castle imprisoned the most dangerous and disobedient prisoners.
It was also the hell where she had been tortured countless times and branded with mental imprints.
She hadn’t stepped foot there since she had “obediently” become a maid.
“Mas… Master? Where… where are we going?”
Ling Xiya’s voice carried a hint of desperate trembling.
Isaiah stopped and slowly turned around.
A cold, cruel smile finally appeared on her face.
“What? Forgot the way? Or are you… afraid?”
She approached Ling Xiya step by step, a crazed light flashing in her eyes.
“Since the gentle way is useless on you, Ling Xiya, it seems I can only use some ‘more effective’ means. I’ll let you properly ‘reminisce’ about the price of resisting me!”
“No… No! Master! I was wrong! I was really wrong!”
Ling Xiya panicked completely.
She fell to her knees, grabbing Isaiah’s skirt desperately.
“Please, don’t send me back to the dungeon! I’ll be obedient! I’ll completely forget the past! Please, Master!”
She wasn’t afraid of physical pain, but of the endless mental destruction.
The special magic circle in the dungeon would amplify her negative emotions, strip her of her will, and make her sink completely into despair.
She had only managed to find a sliver of clarity in her earlier flashback.
If she were locked in again, she didn’t know if she could maintain this weak “self.”
Isaiah looked down at the pleading Ling Xiya on the ground.
There was no mercy in her eyes, only an even more crazed desire for control.
What she wanted wasn’t a walking corpse of a maid, but a “possession” that had completely submitted to her, with her soul branded.
Ling Xiya’s every act of resistance and every attempt to recall the past felt like a challenge to her authority, fueling her deeper desire for possession and destruction.
“You know you’re wrong now? Too late!”
Isaiah kicked Ling Xiya’s hand away, her voice bone-chillingly cold.
“You forced me, Ling Xiya. You’re always so disobedient, always making me… so ‘interested’.”
She snapped her fingers toward the shadows at the end of the corridor.
Two tall demon guards appeared immediately, kneeling respectfully on one knee.
“Master.”
“Take her away.”
Isaiah pointed at Ling Xiya on the ground, her tone devoid of emotion, as if she were disposing of an object.
“Take her to that ‘room’ on the lowest level. Without my command, no one is allowed to approach, including to bring food.”
“Yes!” The demon guards took the order, standing up to hoist the limp Ling Xiya.
“No! Master! No! Let me go! Isaiah! You monster!” Ling Xiya was in total despair.
She no longer pleaded but let out an angry roar.
The fire of her rage and resentment burned fiercely once more at this moment.
She struggled, trying to break free from the demon guards’ restraints.
“Monster? Hehehe…”
Hearing that name, Isaiah laughed instead.
She laughed until she shook, though her eyes remained icy.
“That’s right, I am a monster. And you will forever be my prisoner, my plaything! Reflect well in your ‘cradle’ until you completely forget those things you shouldn’t have and only remember that you are my maid!”
She waved her hand, gesturing for the guards to take her away.
“Isaiah! Don’t even think about it! I will never yield! I will definitely kill you!”
Ling Xiya’s roars echoed in the empty corridor, filled with endless grief, indignation, and determination.
Isaiah stood where she was, listening to the fading roars.
The smile on her face slowly vanished, replaced by a dark expression and an even firmer desire for control.
“Kill me?” she whispered to herself, a crazed light flashing in her eyes.
“Then let’s see who plays whom to death first! Ling Xiya, I’m having your soul for sure!”
The heavy dungeon door slowly closed behind Ling Xiya with a loud “thud,” locking her back into the boundless darkness and despair.
Outside the door, Isaiah stared coldly at the shut entrance, not leaving for a long time.
The entire Demon King’s Castle fell back into a suffocating silence.